1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to systems and methods for compiling sheets for a printing system.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of methods are conventionally used to handle and compile substrates, such as, for example, copy sheets, in printing systems, such as, for example, copiers, printers, and facsimile machines. Such methods include registering and stacking substrates. Registration, or alignment, is critical to handling and compiling sets of sheets, in that registering the sheets ensures accurate and high quality image transfer and manipulation of substrates, both individually and in sets, during the printing process.
In many printers, copiers and the like, for example, that have handling and compiling systems, trays are often used to compile the copy sheets, either individually or in stacks. As is well known in the handling and compiling art, tamping systems are commonly utilized to register the sheets in such compiler trays. Walls or tamper arms on the sides of the tray can be moved repeatedly and reversibly against one or more sides of an incoming sheet or of a set of sheets, thereby achieving proper alignment and square stacking. Once squared, stacks of sheets can be more accurately manipulated, for example stapled or hole-punched, during the finishing stages of the printing or copying process.
Finished sheet stacks are often output to an output stacking tray. Methods of offsetting, or deliberate irregular stacking multiple sets of sheets, can be employed for efficient stacking of compiled sets. Such methods of offsetting are well known to those in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,862 to Russell et al. discloses a simplified and low-cost tamper usable to compile sheets in various stacker or finisher applications. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,839 to Green discloses an output system for tamping and stacking sheet sets both in offset and standard stacking arrangements.